I am around though doubt if I'll get chance to do much reviewing of my own!
I am around though doubt if I'll get chance to do much reviewing of my own!
Member since:27.06.2004
Reviews:39
Members who trust:64
I watched L.A. Confidential for the first time last night on DVD. I had be told by others that it was an excellent film but I was still surprised by just how good it really was when I saw it. It is a film that is very clever in the sense that there are all different stories running through but eventually they all end up starting to become intertwined.
To give a basic introduction into this film, firstly it is directed by Curtis Hanson but was originally based on a book by James Ellroy. The film is set in Los Angeles (believe it or not!) in the 1950s/ 60s and looks at the corrupt nature of the Los Angeles Police Department. The film has an all-star cast, which I shall come to in more depth later but to give just a few names; we see Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger and Danny DeVito all playing starring roles. The plot is actually a difficult one to explain as like I said it is a culmination of different stories.
Basically, the film starts off and a guy called Sid Hudgens (played by DeVito) is shown to us and he is the editor of an underground magazine called Hush- Hush, which works (on-the-side of course) with certain LAPD members to find scandals and then exploit them in this magazine. The biggest one he works with is Jack Vincennes (played by Spacey) who works in the narcotics section of the police force and so knows were the drug raids are and tips Sid off.
At the same time we are introduced to Bud White (played by Crowe)
who in the opening scene beats up a guy who was abusing his wife of course he is a police officer too so the heavy handed tactics are over-looked. Then on Christmas Eve, an ugly scene at the department is exposed leading to White and Vincennes being suspended along with White’s partner. After this, White’s partner is found murdered in a café called the Night Owl and of course the whole force tries to find who is responsible for the murders. Lieutenant Exley (played by Pearce) is the new hotshot kid in the force who is already a Lieutenant and disliked because he snitched on another force member. However, when he and Vincennes think they have found the killers, Exley starts to have doubts, as does White. However, White and Exley do not see eye-to-eye and eventually they end up having to work together to solve the mystery of the murderer.
This is a brief overview of the story and I didn’t include everything that happens even to build up the other story lines that are on running. However, I think that is enough to give a good understanding of the film and what it is about. I feel it is one of those films you have to watch for yourself, as there are plenty of twists and turns in the story and it is a thrill ride from start to finish. I must say that the last scene is one of the best endings I have seen but I shall not say anything about its contents, as that would spoil it.
The acting in this film is first class. Every actor involved, especially in the bigger roles were superb. I have to say that I really dislike Russell Crowe (as a person) however as an actor he is superb and this is possibly his best performance I have seen. Kevin Spacey is also very good in his character that always seems to not take things really seriously but even so his character is very likeable. Danny DeVito is of course his usual charismatic self, producing a great performance as the gossip-chasing reporter.
However, I would say that the strongest performance in this film comes from Guy Pearce who is absolutely magnificent in my view. Pearce’s character is a likeable one to the viewer although at the same time you understand why the people in the film dislike him. However, he just looked the part in this film too because his character came across as Pearce looks, something I feel important as it makes a character more believable. His character was a Lieutenant who did not believe in the heavy-handed tactics used by the others in the force. He preferred to use his brains to sort out problems and interrogate witnesses. However, eventually at the end he realises the only way to save himself is to succumb to the rest (by the way that is not giving anything away about film just a statement about the character.) Therefore without doubt I would say he was the best performer in this film.
There are some excellent moments in this film. As I mentioned, the final scene is superb. However, I also like a scene where Pearce’s character is interrogating witnesses and he tricks them into an admission and stitching each other up by letting them hear what the others were saying. Another good scene involves Pearce and Crowe where they ask questions of the Police captain and Crowe ends up hanging the Captain out of the window by his legs to get answers. The film is also good at keeping the storyline shifting between different characters often enough that it doesn’t confuse you, doesn’t neglect one character for too long and isn’t focused upon one person for too long. This works well I think because it always keeps you interested and wanting to find out more.
Due to the film’s nature there weren’t any real special effects of any description to talk about. However, I believe that the costumes and setting in this film were great. The cars that were used in the film were great too. They were old 50’s style cars but they looked great in the film too. It must be therefore said that the attention to minor details in the film were great too. They even had replica guns from that time too, which are minor things but just add to the credibility of a film.
I was thinking about whether I had seen any other films like LA Confidential and I haven’t really. I suppose Seven is similar in its kind of ‘whodunit’ style but this film is far better than Seven. Personally I believe Seven is somewhat overrated because it doesn’t have the other dimensions to it, which LA Confidential does have. However, I’m sure that if you like Seven or films of that nature then this one is definitely for you too.
I would recommend this film to anyone over age of 15 or so as it is great fun but the story as I say isn’t necessarily complex, you just have to keep track of who is who. I think perhaps the 18 certificate was a little harsh although, maybe I’m forgetting something. I would think that this film is suitable for those over 15. It contains strong language and some violence but that is all I can think of. The only other factor is that there are storylines related to drugs.
Overall, I really enjoyed LA Confidential. I thought it was a film I could watch over and over and still enjoy. I’m not a massive fan of murder mystery orientated films as I find them quite monotonous and somewhat unoriginal but this was different I felt. Anyway I would definitely say give it a go and see what you think but this comfortably gets 5 stars out of 5.
Thanks for reading!
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LA Confidential is tough, gorgeous and vastly entertaining (Janet Maslin, The New York ... more
Times), a genuine masterpiece that will knock your socks off (Rex Reed) and won 1997 Academy Awards for Best Supporting actress (Kim Basinger) and Best Adapted Scree...
L.A. Confidential is "tough gorgeous and vastly entertaining" (The New York Times) "a ... more
genuine masterpiece that will knock your socks off" (Rex Reed) and won 1997 Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress (Kim Basinger) and Best Adapted Screenplay. ...
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Jul 9th, 2004
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